Should Athletes Reduce Their Calorie Intake?

As an athlete, when it comes to reducing your calorie intake, intermittent fasting can be an effective strategy. But what other methods are there?

Sometimes, athletes may wonder whether they should reduce their calorie intake. Under normal circumstances, if your body composition is appropriate, then you only need to worry about keeping your calorie intake balanced. This means consuming the same amount as your burn to keep your weight stable.

However, there are a number of situations where this could change. For example, when you return from a vacation, your body composition may have altered slightly. In order to correct this and reduce body fat, there are two things you’ll need to do: increase your workload and reduce your calorie intake.

Athletes sometimes need to reduce their calorie intake to improve performance

Being overweight doesn’t just affect your athletic performance; it can also increase the risk of injury. This particularly true when considering your joints. The heavier you are, the more pressure is put on your joints as you move.

If your excess weight is in the form of muscle, then you don’t need to worry about this. But if it’s in the form of fat, this is a whole different story. Fat isn’t a mechanical tissue and instead acts as a dead weight.

In order to make sure that you’re in optimum condition, you may need to reduce your calorie intake. But there are a number of different strategies that you might want to consider so that it doesn’t affect your performance too much.

The first one, and the most effective, is intermittent fasting. This is a way of losing weight which is both practical and avoids you becoming too hungry, according to research published in the journal Clinical Nutrition ESPEN.

Should athletes reduce their calorie intake? Control carbohydrates

Another effective strategy to reduce your calorie intake is to control the number of carbohydrates that you eat. Eating fewer carbohydrates has no negative consequences for the body and can be advantageous when you want to burn more calories than you consume.

The most extreme options involve removing carbohydrates from your diet completely. This is known as a ketogenic or ‘keto’ diet. It has proven effects on weight loss, according to research published in the journal Trials.

However, not all athletes find it easy to stick to this type of diet. And furthermore, for athletes who take part in strength activities, it could lead to reduced performance and increase the risk of injury. The most sensible thing to do is to cut down on carbohydrates but not eliminate them completely.

Where energy comes from is important

Besides just balancing your calorie intake or eating less than you burn off, another important matter to consider is where your calories come from. Not all nutrients have the same effect on the body.

For example, processed products that contain a lot of simple sugars and trans fats are harmful to the body’s physiological processes. They also lead to increased inflammation, which is an increased health risk.

This is why it’s just as important for athletes to think about where your calories come from and not just the amount that you consume.

Should athletes reduce their calorie intake?

Depending on their needs, athletes may need to reduce, maintain, or even increase their calorie intake. This last situation would be relevant for an athlete who is looking to increase their muscle mass.

During the pre-season, or after a vacation, it’s common for athletes to return to training with a few extra pounds. This is when it’s time to reduce your calorie intake and increase your workload to correct your body composition. This way, body fat will reduce and, with it, the risk of injury.

However, it’s important to think about where the calories come from. Including foods that contain a lot of sugars and trans fats, as they’ll have negative consequences, even if you’re sticking to a low-calorie diet.

Instead, you should try to prioritize fresh foods over ultra-processed ones. This way you’ll stay in good health and also guarantee better performance. Fresh foods contain plenty of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that help to regulate inflammation and speed up recovery after activity.